Digimon: The Needs of the Many...
by DigiDestined of Courage
Summary: The epilogue is up! Short, but it's to the point. Anyway, Blightmon returns and plans to enact vengeance against Tai and the others and only a sacrifice from one of the DigiDestined may be able to save them. Taiora, some Daiyako and possible Mimato. R&R!
1. The Return of Blightmon

Me: Hey

Me: Hey! It's been a while since I've done a Drama type story, but here goes! I don't own Digimon, although I do own Blightmon. I also don't own any-and I mean _any_!-song I may use in this story from the Digimon soundtrack. 

Tai: That's a frightening thought-you actually owning a Digimon who gives off radiation at 1/10ths of a second! 

Davis: At least he won't have to use a microwave to heat things up! 

Me: Shut up you two! Sheesh, the things I go through everyday while waiting for my leg to heal from that accident…

Digimon: The Needs of the Many…

Prologue-The Return of Blightmon

Taichi "Tai" Kamiya grimaced with sadness as he thought of his ex-girlfriend, Sora Takenouchi. She'd broken up with him because she thought that he was cheating on her with her most hated rival, Akemi-even though he really wasn't; he had wanted to know what to get her for her upcoming birthday. The one thing Tai was prepared to give her was the one thing he hadn't counted on giving her this early in life…a chance to make a difference by sacrificing something…or someone really important. 

It's been one week since you looked at me, cocked your head to the side and said, "I'm angry!" 

Five days since you laughed at me, saying "Get that together, come back and see me." 

Three days since the living room, I realize it's all my fault but couldn't tell you 

Yesterday you'd forgiven me but it'll still be two days till I say, "I'm sorry!" 

How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad? 

Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad 

I'm the kind of guy who laughs at a funeral; can't understand what I mean? Well, you soon will 

I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve 

I have a history of taking off my shirt…

Struggling to hold back her tears, Sora listened to the song on the radio and noticed how much it reminded her of Tai. 

"Maybe I should've given him a chance to explain himself instead of just jumping to conclusions like I always do! Every time I see him from across the halls at school or whenever we've got some emergency in the Digital World, he always looks so sad. That's it! Tomorrow, I'm going to talk to Tai and ask for another chance at our relationship. Technically, it's my fault for destroying it in the first place, not Tai's…even if he cheated on me with Akemi. Hey, the song's almost over!" Finally done with thinking about Tai for a moment, Sora went back to listening to the remainder of the song. 

How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad? 

Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad 

I'm the kind of guy who laughs at a funeral; can't understand what I mean? You soon will

I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve 

I have a history of losing my shirt 

Chorus: It's been one week since you looked at me, dropped your arms to the side and said, "I'm sorry!" 

Five days since I laughed at you and said, "You just did just what I thought you were gonna do!" 

Three days since the living room we realized we're both to blame but what could we do? 

Yesterday, you just smiled at me 'cause it'll be two days till we say, "We're sorry!" 

The Digital World. Supposedly at peace. The reason I say "supposedly" is simple: a Digimon that was at the Mega level, but was stronger than five Mega Digimon at once, was slowly gaining control of everything. And the strange thing about this Digimon was this-he appeared human, but was glowing with a greenish color that surrounded his body! He was known as Blightmon, a terrifying Digimon with two _deadly _attacks of pure radiation: Hell's Fury and Radiating Heatwave. 

"It's time! Now that I have taken over more than ½ of the Digital World, the fun begins. Once I lure the DigiDestined back here, the World-both of them-will be at my mercy, and not even their strongest Digimon can stop me. But what will bring them back? What could they call a dire emergency, something so drastic and so life threatening that they would drop whatever they were doing and come here? Ah-ha! I've got it…The perfect plan…" 

Tai hadn't expected Sora to talk to him, much less drop by at 11:00 at night for a "private talk." So, he lead her outside of his room to the balcony that pretty much oversaw the entire city, to a point. 

"You wanted to talk to me, Sor?" Tai asked calmly, choosing to use the nickname he hadn't used for her since they were kids; he was in the hope that by doing so, she wouldn't kill him or she'd at least go easy on him. 

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have broken up with you over Akemi. I made a mistake and judged you unfairly when I should've listened to your side of the story. But, I'm not so sure we should get together again so soon." Sora shivered a bit, knowing she was lying to herself as well as to Tai. He knew it too, but also knew well enough to not force Sora to do something she claimed she wasn't ready for. 

"I'll be waiting…" Tai leaned forward and kissed Sora lightly on her rapidly blushing cheek. Instantly, both her cheeks flushed a rosy pinkish color as she gazed into Tai's chocolate brown eyes. 

That's when things went south. The earth started shaking and items and pictures fell to the ground! Tai grabbed hold of the railing, whereas Sora grabbed hold of him, not releasing him from her grip. Seconds later, their Dterminals went off. Tai grabbed his and turned it on. 

Guys, we've got a humongous problem! Gennai's been ambushed by a radioactive Digimon who's power levels exceed five Mega Digimon. We're needed in the Digital World as soon as possible! Tai and Sora sighed, knowing the message was from Izzy. 

"So Tai, do we go to the Digital World now or wait until morning?" Sora asked with ease, still holding Tai safely wrapped around her arms. 

"Hmm…we'd have a better chance of beating this guy when we're all rested. I'll send Izzy an email saying that it'd be better if we all went in the morning once we're rested up." Moments later, Tai sent it off and led Sora to his bed. (A/N: Not for that, you nutcases!) 

"Tai, what are you-"

"If this Digimon can ambush Gennai in his home, then he can ambush us in the Real World! It's not safe for you to go home tonight. I'll have Kari bring Biyomon by tomorrow via the computer. Good night, Sora. If you need me, Agumon and I…" Tai took that moment to yank his partner off of his bed sheet, "…will be on the couch." 

"Tai, what'd you do that for? I was sleeping peacefully until you woke me up! You're gonna-"

Agumon's threat was closed off when Tai shut the door. Sora giggled a bit then relaxed in the covers, recognizing Tai's familiar smell beneath the blanket. 

"Good night, Tai. I love you…" 

Morning arrived too quickly for the team. Once Sora woke up, she found a pair of wings, as well as a pink body, smothering her face with a hug. 

"Good morning Sora! Tai climbed the fire escape at six in the morning to come and get me. I hope you and Tai are getting back together, 'cause personally, I think you two deserve each other-better than the odds Agumon gave you and Matt lasting!" Sora chuckled a bit as she listened to what Biyomon explained what had happened to her this morning. 

"What were the odds? More likely, they were Tai's odds and not Agumon's!" 

"Oh, about 80% that you two would break up and 20% that you'd stay with him, but those are Agumon's odds, not mine." 

"Sora, hope you're dressed 'cause we've gotta go!" Tai yelled from outside the door. "I'll buy you a cup of coffee or something on the way to Izzy's." 

A few minutes later, the team all found themselves at Izzy's house, anxiously waiting for him to explain what had happened to Gennai. 

"Spit it out, Izzy! What's going on?" Matt demanded heatedly. 

"Well, it appears that Gennai had restored our Crests thanks to Azulongmon's Digicore. But Blightmon ambushed him before he could work on activating the Crest of Miracles for Davis-he did create it fully, by the way. By using his Radiating Heatwave attack, Blightmon scorched Gennai's back and most of his hair! Gennai was barely able to send our Crests here, but Blightmon stole the Digicore and absorbed the energy from it! Not even 10 Mega Digimon could beat him with the energy that's coursing through him right now." Izzy warned. 

"So, what do we do? Do we go to the DigiWorld and track him down?" T.K. asked. 

"As we are, no. The only available Mega Digimon we have are WarGreymon and Imperialdramon. Matt, you've got to find a way to get Gabumon to Warp-Digivolve again so we can recreate Omnimon and have at least one fighting chance against this walking radiator!" Izzy insisted. 

Matt grimaced slightly. The only way Gabumon could Warp-Digivolve was if he attempted to revive the friendship between him, Tai and Sora. So far, neither was willing to talk to him, but he wasn't giving up. 

"Then, let's go!" Davis demanded as he picked up his Crest of Miracles. It glowed brightly with a golden color. As the other original DigiDestined crowded around him, they all picked up their own Crests. 

"We should have some sort of plan before we go rushing in." Kari suggested. 

"We'll think of one when we get there. Digiport, open!" Tai yelled out as he pulled Davis' arm up and pointed his Digivice toward Izzy's computer. Seconds afterward, all twelve DigiDestined and their Digimon were yanked in and were sent to the Digital World! 

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…(here we go!) 

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ohoooooo…


	2. First Encounter with Blightmon

Me: Got my brain back in working order-even though it already was in working order before, so…

Me: Got my brain back in working order-even though it already _was _in working order before, so…

Tai: Can you shut up and get on with the disclaimer! 

Sora: (irritated) Tai! You should be grateful he's being patient about writing stories about the new kids so back off. 

Me: (chuckles; under breath) That and the fact remains that I have absolutely no ideas on what kind of story to write about the Tamers…I don't own Digimon, with the exception of Blightmon! 

Tai: He was just rambling on and on…I didn't mean to make you mad, Sora. Can you forgive me? 

Sora: Of course, Tai. (leans forward and kisses Tai eagerly) 

Me: Oh, good grief! This is where I take a backseat to all this action…

****

Digimon: The Needs of the Many…

Chapter I-First Encounter with Blightmon

The DigiDestined observed their surroundings and were amazed…the Digital World had abruptly changed since the last time _any _of them were here! All around you could see nothing but fire and brimstone, glowing rocks that were bathed in green and the smell of sulfur was in the air. 

"What the heck happened to this place?!" Davis exclaimed in shock. "The last time we were here, everything seemed normal-or as normal as you can call the DigiWorld!" 

"It was…Blightmon's doing…" The team all gasped as they turned around and saw the face of an old friend who seemed to have aged considerably since the incident that had brought them back. 

"Gennai! What's going on here?" 

"What's wrong with the Digital World?" 

"How'd you change back into an old man so quickly?" 

"Calm down, my friends. Your questions will be answered in due time. Now, we must find shelter. When Blightmon ambushed me, he destroyed my home and left me for dead. Luckily, he didn't find my secret room hidden under the floorboards. Let's move out." 

"Blightmon has taken control over ½ of the Digital World within 20 years of your time. I believe he wants to battle you once again to redeem himself after that ferocious battle with WarGreymon and Black WarGreymon. The problem is, when he took Azulongmon's Digicore, he gained strength and abilities he was never meant to have. Now his powers are even stronger than Azulongmon himself." Gennai explained. 

"So, how do we stop him?" Yolei asked. 

"Even though Tai, Davis and Ken are the only ones with Mega Digimon, you can at least contain Blightmon long enough for one of them to retrieve the Digicore. But, he'll still be a threat, since his actual powers are stronger than 5 Mega Digimon at once! That's your main objective as of now-regain the Digicore, then find some way to safely get rid of Blightmon. The radiation he gives off now could be fatal. Good luck." 

Knowing that they'd have to leave Gennai to attempt to restore his house, the DigiDestined headed off to find Blightmon. 

"So, any chance we'll be able to find him in under five minutes, beat him and go home?" Joe asked grimly. 

****

"No…but he'll be able to find _you_ in even less that time! Observe my newfound strength, DigiDestined, and welcome back. Terra Heatwave!!" 

The DigiDestined cried out as a green beam covered the ground they were all standing on and suddenly split in two, sending nearly all of them down the rapidly growing hole! 

"Davis, Ken! If there was ever a time we needed Imperialdramon, the time's now!" Tai yelled out as Sora grabbed ahold of him alongside Kari. 

"Tai's got a point, Ken! What do you say?" Davis asked as he felt Yolei grab his hand tightly and basically not let go of him. 

"Let's do it!" 

"Veemon Digivolve to…EXVEEMON!!!" 

"Wormmon Digivolve to…STINGMON!!!" 

"ExVeemon…" 

"…Stingmon…" 

"DNA Digivolve to…PAILDRAMON!!!" 

"Paildramon Mega Digivolve to…IMPERIALDRAMON!!!" 

The entire team all found themselves safe inside Imperialdramon's cabin. 

"Let's see how well _he _likes the heat! Positron Laser!!" 

****

"Please! That attack would barely harm a Rookie, much less me. Fatal Radiation!!" 

__

Chorus: It's getting stranger and then…it's getting harder to win! 

It's getting digital then…it starts happening all over again! 

HEY! 

WHAM! Imperialdramon not only shook from the ferocity of Blightmon's attack, he started plummeting toward the cracked ground! 

"Hang on, guys!" Davis demanded as he and Ken struggled with the controls, but to no avail. Imperialdramon crashed hard into the ground but was able to avoid the cracked part of it. 

__

It's getting stranger and then…it's getting harder to win! 

It's getting digital then…it starts happening all over again! 

(It's the strangest thing…) 

The team all groaned as they exited Imperialdramon's cabin with only minutes to spare before he deDigivolved back into Veemon and Wormmon. Blightmon stood before them, glowing as brightly as a night-light. 

****

"I don't know what I was so worried about. I actually thought you heroes would present more of a challenge for me, especially the three of you. Alas, I was able to defeat Imperialdramon with one hit. The next time we meet…we're playing for keeps!" The DigiDestined glared at Blightmon as he laughed evilly before departing with an evil sneer plastered on his face. 

"That was just one battle! You wait and see-the next time we do meet, we're taking you down for good!" Tai growled angrily as he tried to run after him. Sora, Kari and Matt all held him back. 

"Tai, don't! If he's twice as dangerous now as he was then, he'll destroy you with one hit." Sora insisted. 

"She's right, Tai. We need to come up with some sort of plan first." Kari noted. 

"The first thing we need to do is get that Digicore from him. Did anyone see where it was?" Matt asked. The others shook their heads. 

"Come to think of it, did anyone but me notice how his eyes were different than before?" Cody questioned calmly. 

"What do you mean?" Mimi spoke up. 

"Before, his eyes were pure black. This time, they were red-blood red! Almost as if he uses his powers to absorb the Digicore through his eyes-since he technically has no eyes but instead has eye sockets in the first place." 

"Good thinking, Cody! So, we have to figure out a way to crack open that skull of his like an egg. But how?" Everyone sweatdropped as Davis started his thinking mode. 

"We're not gonna crack his head open like anything! We need to figure out how Blightmon absorbed the Digicore's energy source before he does something drastic." T.K. said impatiently. 

"And taking control over ½ of the Digital World isn't drastic?" Tai retorted, getting in between Davis and T.K. before a fight broke out. "But you're both right. We need to find a way to try to strip Blightmon of the Digicore's energy while we can. Hmmm…I've got it!" The others sighed, knowing Tai's plans to be thought up in the heat of battle, not before. 

"Here's what we do-Izzy locates where Blightmon's going. Then we send in one of the Digimon as bait preferably Agumon. While Agumon distracts him, the rest of us will tackle him and that gives us some time to figure out how to get the Digicore back." Tai explained. 

"Sounds decent enough." Sora replied. 

"Just one question-why do I have to be the bait?" Agumon objected. 

"'Cause you're the only one that can Digivolve to Mega! We'll try the plan out once we find him, which'll probably be sometime tomorrow." 

"Why not now?" Davis asked. 

"Because we're all needed at home for lunch, and I don't think our parents would be that eager to hear that we've returned to the Digital World after so long." Tai added. 

"I see. Don't worry, Veemon-you and Wormmon will both be back to your old selves before dinner. Digiport open!" Davis yelled out. 

Observing the DigiDestined vanish through the TV, Blightmon waited until they all disappeared then used his special abilities to go through. He instantly jumped to his feet a few minutes later, expecting a battle, but everyone was gone. 

****

"Very interesting. So, they think they can retrieve the Digicore with such ease? I'll show them! I'll figure out where to hide in this World and allow them to come to me, believing that I've fallen for their bait. Then once they try to ambush me, I'll let them all have it with attacks of such precision, they won't know what hit them! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA…" 


	3. To catch a Digimon within a trap

Me: Okay, here's what I plan to do: Since I've got plenty of free time on my hands thanks to my leg healing up from that truck, I'm going to write two chapters today-and trust me, the 3rd chapter is where things go deadly…

Me: Okay, here's what I plan to do: Since I've got plenty of free time on my hands thanks to my leg healing up from that truck, I'm going to write two chapters today-and trust me, the 3rd chapter is where things go deadly…

Sora: (gulps) What do you mean by that? 

Me: I plan to kill someone in the story. (chuckles evilly; Sora tackles me to the ground) 

Sora: (angry) Don't even think of killing off Tai! If you do, I'll have Garudamon destroy your house with one attack! 

Me: I'm not going to kill Tai for once! It's someone else I have in mind. 

Sora: Why does that not comfort me whatsoever? 

****

Digimon: The Needs of the Many…

Chapter II-To catch a Digimon within a trap

The DigiDestined never did get a chance to eat lunch because of one reason-once Blightmon arrived in the Real World, everything started shaking! Pieces of buildings were coming apart like shrapnel! (A/N: Honestly, I couldn't think of a word to go in place of shrapnel so cut me some slack, will you?) 

"What's going on?" Sora yelled out worriedly. 

"It could be that someone could have followed us through the TV to our world and that's what's causing this earthquake!" Izzy said. 

"Who? The only other person than Gennai that could do that is-" Matt was cut off by Tai's declaration of anger. 

"Blightmon. Think about it-he's gained control of one of Azulongmon's Digicores, so he's got a free passport between worlds right now! It's a safe bet that he's gone to find a place to hide somewhere in our world so we need to find him. Izzy, do you have your laptop with you?" Tai asked after that pretty good explanation that he'd given the rest of the team had finished. 

"Need I remind you of whom you're talking to?" Tai smirked as Izzy revealed his laptop that was safely tucked under his arm. 

"What was I thinking? Track Blightmon! And it shouldn't be too hard, 'cause it's not like he can conceal himself in our world." Tai replied. 

****

"Those DigiDestined think they're so smart. They think that by tracking my radiation pattern, they'll find me. Oh, I'll give them a trail all right-one that should lead them right into a trap! But, to make things interesting I'll allow them to go ahead with their plan first and get rid of their strongest player first…" 

"Got him! It looks like he's on his way to Mt. Fuji." 

"Perfect. Now we can put our plan into action! Agumon, you'll go ahead of us." Tai noted. 

"I hope you're right about this Tai, because if you're not, I could end up as flat as a pizza!" Agumon remarked. 

Sora came up toward Tai with a look of concern on her face. "Tai, are you sure Agumon should go in there alone? Maybe Biyomon could go in with him and they could help each other out." Tai considered her suggestion for a while. 

"You've got a point, but Biyomon can't Digivolve to her Mega level. They'd have a much better chance if they could both become Mega Digimon. I guess we could give it a shot." 

That said, once they all arrived at Mt. Fuji, Agumon and Biyomon headed down to a cave that had recently been created. 

"Wow! I didn't know Mt. Fuji had a cave opening." Biyomon said. 

"I don't think it did. You can tell because of that!" Agumon pointed up to some words that were above their heads. Biyomon read it out loud. 

"'To the DigiDestined-I knew you'd come here once you found my radiation pattern in your world. I'll be waiting for your arrival, and let it be known that when you get here, I'll have a hot surprise on the oven for you!-Blightmon.'" 

"Well, one thing about this Digimon-he sure knows how to make an entrance." Agumon replied. 

****

"That I do. Now, it's time to cook up the surprise!" Agumon and Biyomon turned to see Blightmon ambush them while they were barely outside! 

"Guess he didn't want to wait any longer for us. Look out, Biyomon!" Agumon exclaimed as he used Azulongmon's power to Digivolve once again. 

__

Digimon! 

"Agumon Warp-Digivolve to…" 

__

Digimon: Digital Monsters; Digimon are the champions! 

Warp-Digivolve! 

"…WARGREYMON!!!" 

__

Digimon: Digital Monsters; Digimon are the champions! 

Digimon: Digital Monsters; Digimon are the champions! 

Digimon: Digital Monsters; Digimon! 

The others weren't that far from where Biyomon and Agumon were when they saw a flash of green lighting shoot up into the sky. 

"Come on, you guys! They could be in trouble." Davis demanded as he ran off with Veemon by his side. The team chuckled a bit as they tried to keep up with the two of them. 

WarGreymon jumped in front of Biyomon and protected her from the barrage of green energy. 

"Get back to Sora, Tai and the others! I'll take care of him." WarGreymon advised. 

"But you don't stand a chance against him the way you are now! I can help out." Biyomon objected. 

"There's no time to argue! I can hold this back, but I'm not sure how long before he starts pouring on the power. Get to the others now!" WarGreymon insisted. With reluctance, Biyomon headed off to find Sora and the others. 

****

"Admirable choice, hero. I wouldn't want a Rookie Digimon be forced to witness the death of a fellow Digimon friend. Now that she's gone…HELL'S FURY!!" 

WarGreymon roared with pain as Blightmon's normal attack, tripled due to the Digicore, burned through his shield, his Digizoid armor and his skin tenfold! 

__

Digimon: we fight to win! We fight to win! 

Digimon: we fight to win! 

Tai's Digimon forced himself to his feet and prepared himself for battle as an orange globe appeared in his hands and got bigger within seconds. 

"You're going down for that! Terra Force!!" 

__

Chorus: Change into power! We got the power! 

We got the strength within and we always fight to win it! 

Change into power! We got the power! 

Together you and me will win the victory! 

As the other DigiDestined, as well as the Digimon came in, they all saw WarGreymon's attack collide with Blightmon. A major explosion occurred and they sighed with relief and waited for the smoke to clear. 

To everyone's surprise, Blightmon was still standing! 

"I don't believe this guy! How much power can this guy have if he can take WarGreymon's most powerful attack?!" Tai growled angrily. 

"Probably a lot. We should be careful while taking him on." Joe suggested. 

****

"Ah. The local authorities." Blightmon repressed a smile as the police appeared on the scene within moments, but they weren't where the DigiDestined were-not yet, at least. 

****

"Since I know you'd rather battle than have to explain yourself to them, why don't we continue this fight in more familiar surroundings?" That said, Izzy's laptop was opened up and everybody was pulled in! As the police came in, all they saw was a powered down laptop, idly sitting in the spot Izzy had been in a few seconds ago. 


	4. ...Outweigh The Needs of the Few-or the ...

Me: (smiles evilly) Didn't I tell you I'd get to post two stories-or should I say chapters-a day

Me: (smiles evilly) Didn't I tell you I'd get to post two stories-or should I say chapters-a day? Here's where things go to PG-13, simply because of character death, more character death and a supposed return from the dead. I don't own Digimon, by the way. 

Tai: Oh, boy. Who do you have in mind to kill off? 

Davis: Yeah spit it out already! 

Me: Now, if I told you who I had in mind to die in this chapter, everybody else would know. So, I'm not going to. 

Sora: You won't be able to keep it from me! (races in with a chainsaw) 

Me: (gulps) Oh, yes I will! (runs off; Sora chases after me with chainsaw revved up) 

Tai: (sighs) That's my girl…

Digimon: The Needs of the Many…

Chapter III-…Outweigh the Needs of the Few-or the One

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." –Captain Spock

"Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong." –Murphy's Law

"I have been…and always shall be…your friend…" –Captain Spock, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

(A/N: There's a reason for those sayings from the old Star Trek movie-I'm sure you'll figure them out on your own, but I'll let you know what I think the meanings should mean) 

When Tai opened his eyes, he discovered that he and the other DigiDestined were back in the Digital World! WarGreymon hadn't even deDigivolved back into Agumon, and that came as a big shock to Blightmon. 

"But…but, how?" 

"I conserved energy. That's something I didn't expect you to do since you concentrated almost all of your energy on getting us here. Mega Claw!!" 

Chorus: Let's kick it up and show them all the things we can do! 

WHAM! WarGreymon's attack caused Blightmon serious damage! The DigiDestined cheered Tai's partner on as he straightened up and prepared for his ultimate attack. 

Let's kick it up another notch tomorrow! 

"TERRA FORCE!!" WarGreymon's ultimate attack slammed into Blightmon and he screamed in agony as he felt it connect. 

Let's kick it up 'cause they ain't seen the last of me and you! 

"Way to go, WarGreymon! You sure showed him." Tai declared as the others crowded around him as they observed the smoldering crater. Eyeing Biyomon with ease, WarGreymon rumbled, "All it took Tai, was an amount of teamwork…" 

Let's kick it up…together…together…

That's when things took a turn for the worst. A green globe of energy appeared out of the crater and Blightmon revealed himself, unscorched and back to full strength! 

"No way!" Matt yelled out. 

"All those attacks, and he's undamaged?" Ken gasped out. 

"You think I'm as easy a pushover as the Dark Masters, MaloMyotismon, Black WarGreymon, Daemon? I'M NOT! Watch, as your 'Mega fighter' is defeated in one blast. Radiation Tornado!!" 

A greenish tornado suddenly flew in out of nowhere and hit WarGreymon with devastating results! Tai tried to help him, but he simply got hit too and both heroes of Courage were sent to the ground. 

"TAI! We've gotta help them out, you guys. Who cares if we don't have Mega Digimon? We can still hold Blightmon off!" Sora yelled out angrily. 

"She's right! Let's go! Biyomon Digivolve to…BIRDRAMON!!! Birdramon Digivolve to…GARUDAMON!!!" 

Following Sora's example, the other DigiDestined helped their Digimon to Digivolve once again. Blightmon found himself facing Garudamon, WereGarurumon, Lillymon, Mega Kabuterimon, Zudomon, Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode, Sylphymon and Shakkoumon while Sora and Kari attempted to help Tai and WarGreymon up. 

"Tai, are you all right?" Sora asked with her eyes filled with concern, fear and love. 

"I think I'll live. WarGreymon! You okay, buddy?" 

"I've felt better than this. You ready, Tai?" WarGreymon managed to get to his feet, weakened, but ready for battle. 

Tai nodded as Kari and Sora supported him. "Then let's go!" 

"Wolf Claw!!" 

Blightmon laughed as WereGarurumon simply bounced off of him. **"You've got to be kidding! You had a much better chance at success when you could Digivolve to Mega. Radiating Heatwave!!" **

"Flower Cannon!!" 

"Vulcan's Hammer!!" 

"Horn Buster!!" All three attacks were absorbed with ease. 

"I can't even call this an attempt to win. This is simply too easy. Hell's Fury!!" WereGarurumon had gotten back to his feet, but all four Digimon were hit hard by Blightmon's main attack and deDigivolved back into Rookies. 

"Now it's our turn! You're gonna learn-never mess with the DigiDestined!" Davis growled atop of Imperialdramon alongside Ken, Yolei and Kari. T.K. and Cody were on Shakkoumon; Sylphymon was aiming at point-blank range from a distance. 

"Positron Laser!!" 

"Static Force!!" 

"Justice Beam!!" 

To everybody's shock and horror, Blightmon still appeared unharmed, but Tai made a mental note that he groaned as he lifted his arms up again to prepare for an attack. 

"What do you know? One of you actually had the strength to hurt me. The problem is, you can't keep that strength up forever! And, as I have the strength of at least 10 Mega Digimon, I can keep this fight going as long as I have to. Terra Heatwave!!" 

"Guys, get outta there!" Matt demanded as the ground started to split. Imperialdramon and Sylphymon shot up into the sky and tackled Blightmon, but Shakkoumon started falling through the cracked part of the ground! 

"Cody, we've got to evacuate!" T.K. insisted as he grabbed him and they jumped off and hit the ground hard. Shakkoumon deDigivolved back into Patamon and Armadillomon. 

"Can you guys let us know when you're gonna do this?!" Davis yelled heatedly as he saw Imperialdramon's cannon power itself up. 

"We'll give you a memo. Positron Laser!!" 

"Static Force!!" 

Just as the attacks collided with Blightmon, Tai and Sora arrived on WarGreymon and Garudamon-Tai and WarGreymon looking worse than they felt. WarGreymon's armor was cracked in some places, his shield was all but broken and his faceplate was cracked in two, yet it was still on his face. 

"Very interesting. The heroes of yesteryear come in to save the day. HELL'S FURY! Time to die DigiDestined! HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA…" 

WHAM! The attack hit Imperialdramon and Sylphymon instantly and they both deDigivolved into Veemon, Wormmon, Gatomon and Hawkmon; Davis, Yolei, Kari and Ken grabbed hold of a tree branch, as well as their Digimon, and held on for dear life. 

WarGreymon and Garudamon were sent hurtling to the ground! Tai and Sora barely managed to hang on. WarGreymon's eyes narrowed into slits as Blightmon stepped forward in his path. 

"One of the most powerful Digimon known throughout the Digital World. The one who defeated VenomMyotismon, MetalSeadramon, Machinedramon, Piedmon and Apocalymon…with some assistance, of course. And yet your powers are no match for mine? What a disgrace!" 

Sora managed to get to her feet as Garudamon growled out, "WarGreymon's more powerful than you could ever be! We will defeat you, whether it takes us a month or a year!" 

"Really? Can he defeat me from beyond the grave? Say goodbye to your leader and his partner, DigiDestined! HELL'S FURY!!" Tai steeled himself as the main attack came flying toward him. 

Sora couldn't take anymore pain as she jumped on top of Garudamon's back. She'd been forced to watch as Tai and MetalGreymon vanished with the defeat of Etemon into thin air, was saved by Tai only moments before that as Datamon cloned her and was given the courage to go to Matt by Tai outside of his concert four years later. 

"Sora, what are you doing? Stop!" Matt insisted as the others came in and saw Garudamon take to the skies. 

"You'd never survive the attack's ferocity!" Izzy calculated. 

"Neither will Tai!" Sora retorted as Garudamon landed in front of WarGreymon. 

"Sora…no!" Tai pleaded as he struggled to get up from his position. 

Garudamon noticed something about Blightmon that she hadn't noticed before-his eyes _were_ glowing red! She knew just what to do. 

"I'm sorry, Tai, but I've got to do this. I can't stand by and lose you again." 

"WING BLADE!!" 

Let's kick it up and show them all the things we can do! 

Let's kick it up another notch tomorrow! 

WHAM! Blightmon roared in pain as Garudamon's attack hit him directly between the eyes, which caused the Digicore's energy to shoot upward in the sky and head straight for Azulongmon, wherever he was at in the DigiWorld. 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! IT CAN'T BE! How could a mere Ultimate Digimon have defeated me? You'll pay for this, DigiDestined!" That said, Blightmon vanished into thin air. 

The problem wasn't that, it was this-just as Garudamon's attack hit Blightmon, his attack hit her-and Sora-with blinding radiation! Tai, WarGreymon and the others shielded their eyes, as the radiation appeared to overtake them. Moments afterward, it faded away. 

Let's kick it up 'cause they ain't seen the last of me and you! 

Let's kick it up…together…together…

Tai raced in with Agumon at his side. The radiation aftereffects had proven to be too much for WarGreymon, so to conserve what energy he had left, he deDigivolved back to his Rookie form. They found Sora and Biyomon, smoldering with radiation, but barely alive. 

"Sora! Can you hear me?" 

"T…Tai? Are the others…safe?" 

"Yeah…we're safe, for now. You did it, Sora!" Tai exclaimed as he moved in to hug her. Sora forced herself back from him, but sat up as best she could. 

"I've got to leave you now, Tai…" 

"What?" Tai quickly caught Sora in his arms as she slumped forward. "What do you mean? And why'd you jump in front of me when we could've taken that attack?" 

It took Sora a few minutes to respond as her Crest of Love glowed brightly, then appeared around Tai's neck, next to his Crest of Courage. 

"Because…I-I love you, Taichi…" Tai shuddered in sadness as tears started rolling down his cheeks. 

"Tai, look…" Agumon's voice was laced in sorrow as Tai turned and gasped in amazement. Biyomon was being deleted! 

"Sora, Biyomon was just deleted! What are we going to do?" Tai asked. For once, Tai knew that he was out of options. 

"It's okay, Tai…did you ever see that American movie? Where the 'Vulcan' said, 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…'" 

"'Or the one…'" Tai couldn't stop his tears, because he knew what Biyomon's death meant for them. "I love you too, Sora…always." 

Smiling weakly, Sora leaned up and kissed Tai with all the passion she could muster up. Tai held on tight as he kissed her back, never wanting to let go. 

"Tai…look!" Agumon cried out. 

Tai opened his eyes and groaned as he saw the impossible-Sora's body was being deleted! He cried out as her body broke up into pieces of digital data, yet he was powerless to do anything about it. 

The others knew that Sora was dead when they heard Tai's wail of torment. 

"SOOOOOORRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" 

In another part of the Digital World, Azulongmon smiled to himself as the energy source from the stolen Digicore rejuvenated him. A few moments after that, another energy source from a different Digicore strengthened him. That's when he heard Tai's wail, and he knew what had happened. 

"And so…it begins…The beginning of the end…" 

(A/N: All right, I told you I'd tell you what I thought those sayings meant to me, so I'd best keep my promise. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock sacrificed himself to save the Enterprise; in my story, Sora did the same, not only to save the Digital World, but to save Tai from Blightmon's power. In doing so, she was able to free Azulongmon's Digicore from Blightmon's control. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…or the one…" Basically, Sora knew that the lives of her friends, the entire Digital World and Tai were much more important to her than her own life or Biyomon's. "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong." Blightmon's overconfidence in his abilities was his downfall during this battle, and I'm pretty sure that'll be the cause of his destruction too, eventually. Don't worry too much. This wouldn't be a Taiora without both Tai _and _Sora, right? "I have been…and always shall be…your friend…" Just something I added in to let you guys know that friendship is a must in any relationship-including Tai and Sora's! Any other Taiora fans agree with me? TAIORA FOREVER!) 


	5. A Second Chance at Life

Me: This is my proposition-I don't own Digimon, nor do I own any song I may use from the Digimon soundtrack

Me: This is my proposition-I don't own Digimon, nor do I own any song I may use from the Digimon soundtrack. Everyone ok with that? AHH! 

Tai: (holds me in a headlock) Listen, and listen carefully-you will bring Sora back soon, or you won't ever get married. Got it? 

Me: (gasps) Yes…

Tai: (smirks) Good. (releases me; I drop to the ground) 

Me: (groans) The things that boy does for love…

****

Digimon: The Needs of the Many…

Chapter IV-A Second Chance at Life

The DigiDestined returned to the Real World with heavy hearts. They hadn't defeated Blightmon completely-he'd disappeared completely following the outcome of the final battle. They had succeeded in what they'd needed to do, though. They'd successfully retrieved Azulongmon's Digicore-or, at least, the energy that came from it-and the energy had restored him. The only thing it had cost them was the life of Sora Takenouchi and her partner Biyomon. The last thing Tai needed right now was to get into a fight with Matt-and that's what he was about to get into. 

"Why didn't you stop Sora when you saw what she was doing?! I thought you loved her!" Tai looked up at him-Matt had knocked him down with a punch to his back-and tackled him, making sure to punch him once in the face. 

"Don't you _dare _condemn me on loving her! You saw her way before me-why didn't you stop her? You were her first love!" 

"Yeah, but almost all she talked about during our time together was you! How, when I saved her from those rocks, Tai could've done it differently? Even when she was with me, she still loved you." 

After a few moments of glaring at each other, Tai and Matt got up and dusted themselves off. Realizing that their partners were the only ones who were waiting, they smiled at each other, shook hands and turned to leave. 

"Matt!" 

Turning around, Matt noticed that Tai was smiling still, despite the tears that were glistening in his eyes. 

"The one thing we had-have-in common is this: She loves us both. She never told me, but I knew that she had a place in her heart for you." 

"True-but even though she opened her heart to me, she always loved you-no matter what anyone says." 

"This is something I never could have calculated. Sora sacrificing herself for us? Why would she do that?" Izzy asked in amazement. 

"She cared about all of us-but she loved Tai with all her heart. You can't stop true love. You can only delay it for a while." Kari explained sadly. 

"She's got a point there." Ken muttered. 

"What happened to her Crest?" T.K. asked grimly. 

"Didn't you see it, T.S.? It appeared around Tai's neck next to his own Crest." Davis said. 

"So, what are we going to do without Sora around?" Yolei questioned. 

"We need someone to patrol the Digital World while the rest of us grieve for our loss. I've got someone in mind." Izzy spoke up. 

Mimi nodded in agreement as she looked behind her, in the distance. "I think I may know someone. I just hope he's able to come in such short notice." 

Tai grimaced with sadness as he came to the Takenouchi residence, Agumon by his side. 

"What's wrong, Tai?" 

Struggling to hold back his tears, Tai didn't try to even put up a front. "How can I go in there and tell Sora's mother that she died while trying to protect me? What will she do to me when she finds out?" 

Knowing that he'd have to face her sooner or later, Tai rang the doorbell. A tiny part of him was hoping that Sora would answer the door, but he knew that wouldn't happen. 

A moment later, Ms. Takenouchi answered him, with her eyes reddened. Tai took a stab in the dark that she knew about Sora's death. 

"Tell me, Tai…is she gone? Did she die in that other world?" Tai shook with pain and he couldn't stop his tears from flowing. 

"Yes…she died while protecting me. I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop her, or at least protect her for you." Tai started crying and Sora's grief-stricken mother pulled him into a hug. 

"It wasn't your fault. You weren't able to stop her. No one can stop her from doing something-not even me." Tai laughed a bit as he recalled Sora's stubborn streak. 

__

"She was just like me. Determined, stubborn to a fault and ready to handle anything that came her way." Tai thought to himself. A small smile crept up to his face. 

"Maybe we can honor her, in a way. I know exactly what I can do. I can get rid of the Digimon that killed her and Biyomon." Agumon noted calmly. 

__

Things are starting to accelerate into something, never stopping, always trouble following 

It's getting too insane; I'm trying to maintain 

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa…

Chorus: You runaround, I runaround, we're all gonna run, run, runaround

You runaround, I runaround, we all do a run, run, runaround

Michael, one of the DigiDestined from America found himself and Betamon teamed up with Willis, another DigiDestined from America and his partner Terriermon in the Digital World. 

"I think Izzy told me a little bit about you. Didn't you have a second partner?" Michael asked calmly. 

"Huh? Oh, you mean Kokomon? He chose to stay behind and keep my family occupied while I'm gone." 

"That's good. So, what are we going to do while we're here?" Willis took a moment to respond. 

"We're supposed to be patrolling the area, looking for a Digimon that goes by the name of Blightmon. And I think we just ran into him." Ahead of them, a few meters away from them was Primary Village, the place in the Digital World where Digimon were reborn. As was Blightmon, with an evil grin on his face. 

****

"They think I don't know what happened to their friend. Believe me, I know. I know this place like I know the back of my hand. I know she-excuse me, they-will be reborn here. All I've got to do is torch the place before it happens." 

"Who is he talking about?" Terriermon asked questioningly. 

"Probably Biyomon. All Digimon are reconfigured here at Primary Village if they're defeated in battle in the DigiWorld. I think he means to stop Biyomon's rebirth. We've got to stop him!" Michael whispered angrily. 

"How? He's a Mega Digimon and my Digimon can only Digivolve as high as Champion!" Willis insisted. 

"Not mine. Stop right there! Go for it, Betamon!" Michael demanded. 

"Betamon Warp-Digivolve to…METALSEADRAMON!!!" 

"Terriermon Digivolve to…GARGOMON!!!" 

Blightmon turned and smirked as a Champion and a Mega Digimon appeared before him, alongside Michael and Willis. 

****

"The second string. What, the others didn't have the guts to face me in response to their friend's death?" Blightmon gloated evilly. 

"Gargo Pellets!!" Gargomon yelled out. 

"River of Power!!" 

MetalSeadramon's attack actually caused Blightmon some damage, but it wasn't enough. 

****

"Now, it's my turn. Here's a taste of what I gave the Child of Love. Hell's Fury!!" 

Blightmon's attack not only hit MetalSeadramon and Gargomon-which forced them to return to their Rookie forms-but it also hit Michael and Willis, sending them across over half of Primary Village! 

"That really…hurt!" Willis groaned as he forced himself up. 

The response he got wasn't one he'd been expecting. A girlish giggle was heard. 

Gaping in shock, Michael, Willis, Terriermon and Betamon all turned and saw a little girl about the age of 7 with reddish hair and crimson eyes, standing next to a pinkish egg! 

"Who…are you, and what are you doing here?" Michael sputtered out. Almost immediately, the girl started crying, picked up the egg and protectively wrapped it up in her arms. 

"I'm looking for my best friend. His name is Taichi, but I like calling him Tai. (sniff; hiccup) Have you seen him?" 

Izzy jolted up from his seat and looked at his laptop, which informed him that he was receiving an email from Michael. After reading it, he gasped in amazement. 

"What's wrong, Izzy? What's going on?" Yolei asked as the other DigiDestined came running in. 

"I just got an email from Michael. He and Willis battled Blightmon, but they were beaten while protecting Primary Village. They were sent to another part of the village, but they found a little girl standing next to a pink egg. It's Sora! She's…back." 


	6. Quest to save Sora

Me: I don't own Digimon

Me: I don't own Digimon. (sighs) Sometimes, I hate these disclaimers! (turns and sees Tai) What is it now? 

Tai: You brought back my Sora, but she's SEVEN YEARS OLD!! What am I gonna do-wait for her to grow up again?! 

Me: (smirks) If you love her like you say you do, you will. 

Tai: (sighs) You've got a point. 

Me: Relax. I'm positive you won't have to wait that long, though. 

****

Digimon: The Needs of the Many…

Chapter V-Quest to save Sora

The second Tai got the news from Izzy, his eyes clouded over with unshed tears. "Are you telling me that…Sora's alive?" 

Almost instantly, Agumon and Ms. Takenouchi turned toward him, the faint glimmer of hope shining in their eyes. 

__

"Affirmative, but there's only one problem-she's seven years old. Around that time, we didn't even know what Digimon were until that battle in Heighten View Terrace." 

Tai shivered a bit and took a few moments to think while Izzy pinpointed the exact spot where Sora was. 

__

"Probably because of the Digital World-it reconfigured her just like it would a Digimon! Since it took some time for Michael and Willis to find them, she must've been a baby when she was 'reborn,' just like Biyomon. It'll take sometime for Biyomon's egg to hatch and time's a thing we don't have!" 

Tai was interrupted from his thoughts when Izzy started talking on the phone again. 

__

"Found her! She's with Michael and Willis, somewhere near Primary Village." 

"Got it! Thanks, Izzy." Tai said as he hung up the phone and made a gesturing move toward Sora's room. 

"Would it be all right with you if I borrowed Sora's computer for a moment, ma'am?" Tai asked. 

"If it will help to bring Sora back, go right ahead." 

"Thanks! Come on, Agumon." Tai insisted as he headed off to Sora's room. It took sometime to turn it on, then being forced to wait a few minutes for it to boot up. 

"Man, I can see why Sora was always complaining about her mom not getting her a computer! Hope this works. Digiport open!" Tai yelled out as the screen opened up. A second later, Tai and Agumon were sucked in and headed to the Digital World. 

Tai looked around in amazement-every single egg was gone! 

"What happened to all the baby Digimon? Did they just vanish or something?" 

"Probably Elecmon's work. When he heard that Blightmon was in the area, he may have rounded up all the baby Digimon and hightailed it!" Agumon explained. 

"So that means that Sora's safe?" Tai asked. 

"Don't you remember? She's with Willis and Michael." 

"Oh, yeah. That's right. So, where are the others at?" 

"We're right behind ya, pal!" Davis said as they all suddenly appeared out of nowhere, which startled Tai and Agumon. 

"Can't you guys let me know when you're gonna do that?!" Tai growled impatiently. 

"We would, but that wouldn't be as much fun. Have you found Sora yet?" Matt joked cynically. 

"No. She's still with Michael and Willis, and I have no idea where to start looking." Tai muttered sadly. 

"Don't worry, Tai. Even though she's seven, her love for you has lasted throughout a lifetime. If you can't find her, I'm sure she'll find you." Kari explained. Tai couldn't help but smile. 

Speaking of the youngster in question, she was looking for Tai-with Willis and Michael keeping an extra close eye on her. 

"Tai! Where are you?" Sora yelled out, making sure to keep the egg close to her at all times. 

"Out of curiosity, how much longer are we going to have to search for Tai?" Willis whispered. 

"Until either Sora finds him or he finds her, whichever comes first." Michael replied back. 

****

"How about this-what if neither of them find each other, and I get the one thing that should be more powerful than Azulongmon's Digicore-the Crests!" The three gasped as they all looked up and saw Blightmon with a horde of Digimon behind him. 

"What are you doing here?" Willis demanded heatedly. 

"And what do you want with the Crests?" Michael added. 

Sora looked angry…and she was also glowing with a bright pinkish color. "You're not hurting Tai or any of the others! If you want the Crests, you'll have to stop me!" Everyone turned toward Sora and gasped in amazement-she seemed to be aging! Seconds had passed, and she was 11 years old, with her familiar blue hat atop her reddish hair. (A/N: Simply see her via Digimon: Season I; not that hard, since they're showing reruns again!) As for her egg, it had hatched into a baby Digimon and she was glowing too! 

"Whoa! She just grew up-in a manner of speaking. And so did her partner! What kind of Digimon is that?" Willis asked. 

"We're about to find out." Terriermon said. 

"Nyokimon Digivolve to…YOKOMON!!!" Sora's Digimon stood by her side-kind of-with a pink radiance surrounding the two of them. 

"I may be a In-Training Digimon, but Sora's got the strength within herself and that's how I'm going to defeat you!" Yokomon spoke up. Blightmon laughed in response. 

****

"Really? And just how are you going to do that, my dear?" 

"Like THIS: Bubble Blow!!" 

__

Chorus: I'm going Digital-completely Digital! 

Now I'm invincible! 

Let's all get Digital! 

Yokomon had a decent point-even though she was a In-Training Digimon, using Sora's strength powered up her own attack and actually caused Blightmon some damage! 

****

"Effective. But, I'm still standing. I think I may have discovered the secret to your strength, little one. A question I pose to you-what does Love do without her hero of Courage to protect her?" Laughing evilly, Blightmon vanished into the sky, but not before turning to his Digimon lackeys. 

****

"Destroy them or I will destroy you!" he ordered angrily. 

Sora grimaced as she recognized some of the Digimon before her-Monochromon, MetalTyrannomon and a DarkTyrannomon. There was one she didn't know, though. 

"Yokomon, what Digimon is that?" Sora questioned as she saw a Dinosaur Digimon come their way. 

The Digimon Analyzer appeared as Yokomon exclaimed, "That's MasterTyrannomon, an Ultimate level Digimon! His main attack, a Master Fire move is flammable!" 

"I'd say we've got some tough Digimon on our hands!" Michael said as Betamon, Terriermon and Yokomon stood in front of their partners. 

Tai suddenly gasped out as he felt energy coursing through him-energy that didn't feel like the energy he got when helping Agumon to Digivolve. He looked down at the two Crests on his neck and was amazed when he saw that the Crest of Love was glowing brightly! 

"Sora must be nearby! We've got to find her!" Tai was about to go rushing off, but Matt, as usual, stopped him. 

"Hold on, Tai! We need a plan. What if she isn't nearby and that's just a reaction she's giving the Crest from wherever she's at?" Tai rolled his eyes and glared at Matt, making sure to show him his anger. 

"Would you be all calm and uncaring if Sora was still in love with you?! You may be right, but what kind of plan would we need to simply find her?" A fight was about to break out, but a certain Digimon was in their way…Blightmon. 

****

"You're right, Child of Courage. What kind of plan do you need to find a dead heroine?" Everyone jerked their heads up and found Blightmon eyeing them with an evil look in his eyes. 

"What do you want from us now? You've already taken Sora from us-what more do you want?" Tai growled heatedly. 

****

"Your Crests. That's what I want. Now, hand them over!" 

The DigiDestined stood their ground, refusing to back down. 

"You want them, you'll have to take them!" Davis said confidently. 

****

"That _wasn't _a request! Radiating Heatwave!!" 

Almost instantly, the Digimon all jumped in front of their partners. They all Digivolved to their highest levels, knowing that Champion level wouldn't be enough to help them. 

Blightmon smiled as he found himself surrounded by WarGreymon, WereGarurumon, MegaKabuterimon, Lillymon, Zudomon, Imperialdramon, Sylphymon and Shakkoumon. 

"NOW!" Tai and Davis demanded. 

"Terra Force!!" 

"Wolf Claw!!" 

"Horn Buster!!" 

"Flower Cannon!!" 

"Vulcan's Hammer!!" 

"Positron Laser!!" 

"Static Force!!" 

"Justice Beam!!" 

WHAM! All the attacks hit Blightmon and caused him significant damage. 

"Nice shot, guys. And all it took was an amount of teamwork!" Tai responded calmly. 

Problem is, Blightmon was standing. And even though he was slightly hurt, he still had some juice left in him! 

"Izzy, time to activate your Digital Barrier." Tai suggested. Nodding in agreement, Izzy picked up his laptop-that he recovered from Mt. Fuji-and went to turn on the Digital Barrier. 

"What's wrong, Izzy?" Ken asked. 

"The entire laptop's overheated due to Blightmon using it to take us to the Digital World! I didn't expect him to activate it for his own evil purposes!" Izzy yelled out. 

****

"HELL'S FURY!!" 

Tai's eyes narrowed in irritation as the powerful beam came toward them. 

"Izzy, the Barrier!" 

"Sorry Tai, but I can't!" 

"WarGreymon, attack-" Tai's order came too late. The greenish attack of immense radiation overwhelmed the entire team! As Tai was hurtled to the ground, only one thought escaped his mind. 

"SORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" 

The eleven-year-old girl suddenly cried out in pain as she remained hidden behind a rock with Yokomon hopping up and down, trying to observe the battle. 

"Sora, what's wrong?" 

"It's…Tai. He's hurt! Blightmon may have found them already and he might have…" Sora struggled within herself and forced herself not to cry, but she allowed a few tears to roll down her cheeks. 

Looking over the rock and seeing Gargomon and MegaSeadramon handle the invading Digimon, Yokomon tried to comfort her friend as best she could. 

"Tai's strong and attempting to find you. If you let your heart guide you, he'll be able to find you no matter where you are." Sora smiled and felt herself glowing again. She looked at her hands and realized that she _was _glowing! 

"Thank you Yokomon." Seconds passed and Sora felt the hat disappear, her clothes replaced with her high school uniform. 

"You're almost back to your old self, Sora! Now, what are we going to do about me?" Yokomon chattered excitedly. 

"Find something to eat? We're starving!" Terriermon said as the others came over and facefaulted as they saw Sora's appearance had changed-a lot! (A/N: Now she looks like she did early Season II-you guys know where I'm going with this, aren't you?) 

"WarGreymon, time to show this guy what being DigiDestined's all about!" Tai declared as he forced himself off of the scorched ground. He felt the energy course through him and knew something had happened to Sora-something with good intentions. 

"I don't think they can, Tai." Joe said. 

"Why not?"   
"Look." 

Tai looked at the Digimon and couldn't believe what had just occurred-they were all in their Rookie forms! And Blightmon was slowly coming toward them. 

"What's the plan now, Tai?" Mimi asked as she was clinging onto Matt's shoulder. 

Tai sighed sadly as he looked at the Crests of Courage and Love around his neck. "One of the hardest things I never thought I'd have to do again…" 


	7. The Needs of the One outweigh the Needs ...

Me: I don't own Digimon and this chapter is based solely on the Season Premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Me: I don't own Digimon and this chapter is based solely on the Season Premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Granted, I only got to see the last 15 minutes of it, but that was the part that counted. 

Tai: Yeah-I'm still amazed at how the Scooby Gang brought her back! 

Me: True. Makes you wonder what kind of demon caught a ride with her back to town, huh? 

Tai: Uh…something like that. So…do I get to find Sora today? 

Me: Maybe. Patience is a virtue. 

Digimon: The Needs of the Many…

Chapter VI-The Needs of the One outweighed the Needs of the Many

"Some men see things as they are and say 'Why?' I dream things that never were, and say 'Why not?'" –George Bernard Shaw

"My God Bones…what have I done?" –Captain Kirk 

"What you had to do…what you've always done: turned death into a fighting chance to live." –Dr. McCoy 

"The needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many…" –Captain Kirk, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 

(A/N: Once again, I'll let you know what I think those sayings mean to me at the end of the chapter) 

"All right!" Tai yelled out to Blightmon, as he was mere inches from the DigiDestined. "We'll give you our Crests-on one condition! That you send a few of your Digimon lackeys over to pick them up, 'cause if you came over, we wouldn't have a chance of surviving. This way, you'll not only get the Crests, but we'll get to leave here peacefully." 

Blightmon smiled with ease as he considered the suggestion and actually agreed with it. 

"Deal! I'll give you a few minutes to discuss the terms of your surrender with your friends." 

Once Tai nodded, Blightmon turned and departed. Tai immediately turned his gaze over to Izzy. 

"Here's where I need to count on you guys. Izzy-did you set up that sequence in your laptop before that glowing lamppost used it to send us here?" Tai asked impatiently. 

"Affirmative, but I don't see the real use for it-" 

"I'll tell you later! Everybody-hand over your Crests! I'm gonna make sure Blightmon doesn't get ahold of them ever. Not now or in the future!" Tai declared as the others handed over their Crests. "Davis, Ken? That means you guys, too." 

Wondering what Tai had in mind, Davis and Ken handed over the Crests of Miracles and Kindness. 

"What are you planning, Tai?" Cody asked politely. Tai chuckled and shook his head. 

"You'll see. Ken, Izzy! Can you guys use the Digiport to send us to a different part of Primary Village?" 

Ken and Izzy eyed each other with confused looks on their faces, but nodded. "Sure, but I don't see what the big deal is-"

"He'll let us know later! Get moving!" Matt demanded irritably. 

Within seconds, Izzy and Ken had the screen showing them different parts of Primary Village. 

"Way to go, guys! Now, home in on the section where Sora, Willis and Michael are at, but a few meters away." Tai suggested while he helped the younger kids, Mimi, Matt and Joe round up all of the Digimon. 

"Done!" Izzy spoke up. 

"Great! Now-go through it!" Tai insisted as he pushed everybody but himself and Agumon through the Digiport. 

"What was that for, Tai?" Agumon piped up. 

Tai shivered a bit as he looked at all of the Crests in his right hand, then took off the Crests of Courage and Love and placed them on the top. 

"You'll see." Tai bent down to the computer, then typed in a few choice words. The screen went dark, with the exception of the Digiport and started talking in a mechanical voice, _"30 seconds until destruction. 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21…" _

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Tai, what are you doing?!" Agumon yelped out worriedly. 

"Watch." Tai noted as he placed all the Crests on the keyboard then held out his Digivice toward the screen. 

"15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10…" 

Tai looked up long enough to grab Agumon and hold him tightly around his waist, noticing a DarkTyrannomon and a Monochromon coming his way. 

"Hold on, Agumon! Digiport open!" 

Just as the two Digimon got to the laptop, the computer spoke up for the final time, _"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0…" _

That's when all hell broke loose…in a sense. 

The other Digimon Michael and Willis hadn't been able to defeat had made a break for it, finding their master. He hadn't punished them as they thought he would. He sent them to find the Crests. When they did, they were caught in the explosion and were instantly deleted. The Crests hadn't been destroyed in the blast-not entirely. All ten Crests-Courage, Love, Friendship, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Hope, Light, Miracles and Kindness-had skyrocketed upward into the air and dissolved safely above the DigiDestined's heads. Tai's eyes glistened with tears, but he refused to let them fall down his cheeks. 

"What have I done?" Tai whispered to himself sadly. 

"What you've been known for…what you've been known to do-turn death into a fighting chance to live." Matt declared calmly by his side. When Tai didn't respond, Matt grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him, gently but firmly. "Do you hear me, Tai?!" 

Tai finally turned toward Matt and nodded, seeing the symbols of their Crests in the sky above them, the symbols of Courage and Love side by side. "I hear you." 

Due to a decision from Matt, the DigiDestined had chose to wait until Tai had gotten to where they were at before asking him what he'd done with their Crests. He took some time to explain the situation, then the self-destruct sequence Izzy had programmed into his laptop had went off-Tai promised to buy Izzy a newer laptop when this was all over. 

"So, where's Sora and the others?" Mimi said. 

"If I had my laptop, I could tell you. Since I don't, we'll just have to guess. Let's try this way!" Izzy advised. Taking the lead, Tai headed in that direction with ease knowing that the others weren't that far behind him. 

To put it bluntly, Blightmon was extremely pissed. At who? Tai, of course. Not only had Tai, in a sense, denied him the powers of the Digicore with Sora's death, but he'd also denied him the powers of the Crests. He had instead elected to send them around the Digital World, protecting it from the forces of darkness. 

"If I can't have what I want, then Tai can't have what he wants…a chance at true love!" 

The DigiDestined hadn't gone that far when they heard a tiny voice yell out, "Yokomon Digivolve to…BIYOMON!!!" 

"Biyomon?! That must mean-SORA!" Tai cried out as he burst through the bushes that led into this part of Primary Village to find…

Willis, Terriermon and Biyomon. Sora was nowhere to be seen. Tai's hopes vanished like sands in the hourglass. 

"Michael had to go home. Sora went to get some water. She should be back soon." Biyomon explained. Tai and the rest of the team nodded. Agumon hugged the Bird Digimon tightly until her insides felt like they would burst. 

"Agumon-(gasps) I'm glad to-(gasps) see you too, but-(gasps) I NEED TO BREATHE!" Biyomon yelled out. 

"Don't worry, my dear. You won't need to worry about breathing. You won't be breathing when I'm through with you!" Blightmon growled as he approached them with a menacing look in his eyes. 

"How are you able to find us so quickly?! What-do you have some kind of beacon that tells you where we're at?" Davis demanded heatedly. 

"I remembered where the Child of Love was at, so I deduced that you all would come here. I only want the Hero of Courage! The rest of you may go." 

"Davis, I don't think he means you." T.K. said as Davis prepared himself for a battle. 

"You should let the Bird Digimon go with them, too." Tai suggested. 

"No." 

"Why not?" 

"Because, you wish it." Blightmon used a energy beam and sent all of the DigiDestined-including Willis and Terriermon-through the TV set, leaving Biyomon, Tai and Agumon to face him…

"Willis, I'm back-TAI! Is it really you?" 

And Sora, who has just come back from finding water to drink. 

"Sora, stay back! It's Blightmon." Tai warned as he took a glance at her. She was sporting the sky blue overcoat she'd worn that Christmas along with the pink scarf. (A/N: Late Season II-(shudders)) She looked a bit younger than what she originally was supposed to be, but it was still, unmistakably, Sora. 

"Since you've denied me the powers I've sought out, I have decided to deny you a chance at true love. Radiating Heatwave!!" 

"Sora, look out!" Tai cried out as he raced forward to save her from the attack. 

Digimon! 

"Agumon Warp-Digivolve to…" 

Digimon: Digital Monsters; Digimon are the champions! 

Warp-Digivolve! 

"…WARGREYMON!!!" 

Digimon: Digital Monsters; Digimon are the champions! 

Digimon: Digital Monsters; Digimon are the champions! 

Digimon: Digital Monsters; Digimon! 

Tai barely managed to tackle Sora to the ground, immediately covering her with his body. WarGreymon deflected the attack with his shield. 

"Don't even _think _about hurting Tai! Or Sora, for that matter! Mega Claw!!" WarGreymon spun around, with his Dramon Destroyers facing Blightmon and hit him! WarGreymon stopped spinning, but took notice of one thing-even though the Digimon was still standing, he was in pain. 

"Getting tired already, are we? I haven't even broken a sweat!" 

"You haven't even seen the full use of my powers. HELL'S FURY!!" 

Sora's eyes widened in shock as a 30-foot range of radiation came barreling toward them; Tai's eyes narrowed with pure anger. 

"Dive, Sora!" Tai insisted as he pushed her to the ground again, making sure he took the full brunt of the attack. 

"Get down!" WarGreymon rumbled to Biyomon as he grabbed his shield and protected her, knowing he'd be safe due to his armor. 

Tai and WarGreymon were amazed when the attack simply passed right over them! 

"What the heck…?" Tai replied. 

Tai looked at Sora as he helped her up and smiled. She had aged again, but she was back to her correct age, with her hair reaching her shoulders and that familiar glint in her eyes. 

"Why'd you come back for me, Tai?" 

"Because…" Tai wasn't too sure how to answer her, but remembered something at that instant. "Remember that other movie we saw? Where the captain said to his friend, 'The needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many…'" 

WarGreymon smirked as he connected his hands together to create a globe of positive orange energy. 

"You've exhausted your power by using them against us one too many times. Terra Force!!" 

Chorus: Hey, Digimon! Hey, Digimon! 

Monster friends to the boys and girls! 

Hey, Digimon! Hey, Digimon! 

Champions of the Digital World! 

Hey, Digimon! Hey, Digimon! 

Ultimate friends to the boys and girls! 

Hey, Digimon! Hey, Digimon! 

Champions of the Digital World! 

WHAM! Blightmon screamed with agony as WarGreymon's attack caused him pain beyond any kind of attack he could muster up. As he started to delete in front of their eyes, Blightmon explained, **"You think you've won, but you haven't! Not all of the evil has been eliminated throughout the Digital World and one day, there will be an evil force so powerful, so dark, so infused with the powers of evil that you'll be destroyed in one blast! What do you say to that?" **

Sora rose her Digivice to the sky as Biyomon started glowing. 

"Biyomon Digivolve to…BIRDRAMON!!! Just this-Meteor Wing!!" 

Normally, it wouldn't take just one attack from a mere Champion Digimon to defeat a Mega Digimon like Blightmon, but since he was already breaking up into pieces of data, Birdramon's attack simply hurried things up. 

Tai and Sora smiled at each other as their Digimon reverted back to their Rookie forms. 

"Are the others…safe?" Sora asked sweetly as she blushed a deep crimson from gazing into Tai's eyes. 

"You saved us, Sora! You saved us all! You saved _me_. Don't you remember?" Tai insisted worriedly. 

In response, Tai received a kiss from Sora-one that lasted well until the setting of the sun! They might not have gone back home if it weren't for Agumon and Biyomon who yelled out, "Hey! We're hungry, so quit lip locking and let's go home!" 

(A/N: Wow-haven't had to do this since Chapter III, I think. We already know what happened in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock-the title of the movie pretty much gave it away. Kirk put everything at risk in order to save Spock from the planet Genesis-his ship as well as the life of his son. In this chapter, Tai risked his life and the Crests in order to save Sora from Blightmon-and to avenge her, in a sense. "Some men see things as they are and say 'Why?' I dream things that never were and say 'Why not?'" To simplify the whole Taiora/Sorato argument, I'd have to say that George Bernard Shaw put it best. All Sorato fans ask us why are we still supporting Taiora with Season II at an end and we reply with "Why not?" I doubt most of us actually say that, but we don't give up on our dreams-especially me! Never have, never will. "My God Bones…what have I done?" "What you had to do…what you've always done: turned death into a fighting chance to live." Kirk and McCoy sum up what I think Tai's nature is during Season I of Digimon-him running into action without thought of consequence is basically a determined leader trying to change fate, or as McCoy said it-"Turned death into a fighting chance to live." 

"The needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many." Kirk's saying reversed what Spock said in the second Star Trek movie, and it fits in well here. Tai figured that Sora's life was worth more than their Crests. Why do you think Tai sacrificed all of their Crests and was still able to help Sora? TAIORA FOREVER! 


	8. A piece of my heart is with you

Me: Finally the epilogue's here, which means this story is over

Me: Finally the epilogue's here, which means this story is over! I don't own Digimon, of course. This is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode that was on yesterday. 

Tai: (sighs) Now we can relax, right? 

Me: Unfortunately, no. 

Tai: WHAT?! 

Me: You heard me-there's a new storyline thought up-all I need to do is give it some thought. 

Tai: Oh boy! 

****

Digimon: The Needs of the Many…

Epilogue-A piece of my heart is with you

Tai, Sora, Agumon and Biyomon all landed hard on Sora's floor in her room. 

And they were all tangled up, which made it hard to move, until people-and Digimon-tried to untangle themselves. 

"All right-where's your mother?" Tai asked calmly as he rose to his feet. 

"You told my Mom about this?" Sora noted with a tinge of worry shown on her face. 

"Apparently, someone else beat me to it, because when I got here to tell her, she already knew." Tai explained. 

"Come on, Sor. Let's go find her." 

Tai's suspicions were right, of course. He-and Sora-both knew the only place Ms. Takenouchi would go to ease her fears and pain was the flower shop. That's where they found her. 

"Mama? I'm home." 

Almost instantly, her mother, who was overjoyed in seeing her daughter back once again, enveloped Sora and Biyomon in a big hug. 

__

Have you ever been close to tragedy or been close to folks who have? 

Have you ever felt the pain so powerful, so heavy you'd collapse? 

No? Well, I…

Tai smiled with satisfaction as he saw the happy Takenouchi family reunited again and motioned for Agumon to leave. 

"Tai? Come here, please." 

Stopping with a slight grimace, Tai turned back around to where he saw Ms. Takenouchi make a motioning move with her hand, inviting him and Agumon inside the circle. 

Tai soon found himself in a hug of love and content alongside Sora. He was lucky that amidst the silent sobbing Sora was finally letting go he was able to hear her mother's response of gratitude. 

"Thank you for bringing her back to me." 

__

Chorus: Never had to knock on wood! 

But I know someone who has, which makes me wonder if I could

It makes me wonder if I…

Never had to knock on wood! 

And I'm glad I haven't yet, because I'm sure it isn't good

That's the impression that I get…

Later on that week, Gennai-who was rejuvenated again and looked younger than he had earlier-had contacted only Tai and Sora via their computers. They were needed in the Digital World, post haste. So, they departed once again side by side to the Digital World. 

"Yeah, Gennai? We're all relaxing ever since this whole Blightmon mess-surprisingly enough, Davis and Yolei are together and so are Matt and Mimi. Never thought that day would come." Tai cracked cynically. 

"I felt that since you were connected the most to Sora, that you should be here when I ask her this question-what happened to you after you were deleted by Blightmon?" 

Sora shuddered in pain and utter agony once Gennai asked her that question. Almost instantly, Tai moved close to her and consoled her. A second later, she relaxed again and felt safe in his arms. 

"Thanks, Tai. I do think I need to get this off my chest, though. Well, it all happened so fast and quickly that I don't really know what to say." 

Tai nodded and just continued to hold her in his arms. "Whenever you're ready. Just speak from the heart." 

Sora smiled as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to remember what had happened after her deletion. "After I sacrificed myself for Tai, as well as the others, I found myself in a place of peace. Pure contentment, joy and happiness. Nobody was unhappy there, no one shed any tears and nobody had to die. I felt almost complete but knew there was one thing missing. _You _weren't there, Tai. You've always held a piece of my heart for as long as I can remember, and without you there with me, I didn't feel complete. I didn't feel pure happiness. Then, before I knew what was going on, I was pulled out of there by the power of the Digital World or something else. Whatever pulled me out of that place and put me back here, there must have been a reason, right?" 

"Sure, Sora. There's always a reason for things. Like your death, your sudden return had to have meant something. I think I know where you were-it's where we'll get to go one day, right?" 

"Mm-hmm. We'll get to go back there…together. But, can we not tell the other DigiDestined about this, including Matt?" Sora asked sleepily. Tai chuckled a bit and picked her up, holding her head against her shoulder. 

"Yeah. I had no plans to tell any of the others about this at all. We'll see you later, Gennai." 

As Tai walked off with Sora in his arms and the Digimon trying to keep up with him, Gennai looked up to the skies and couldn't help but smile. 

"Thank you for allowing her to come back. She wasn't truly complete while she was there. Only the other piece of her heart could make her feel that way…" 


End file.
